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Akart racing game, also known ascart racing game orgo-kart racing game, is asubgenre ofracing games. Kart racing games have simplified driving mechanics while including unusual racetrack designs, obstacles, andvehicular combat. Though the genre has its roots in the 1980s,Super Mario Kart (1992) popularized the genre, withits subsequent series still being considered the foremost kart racing franchise.

Kart racing games are known to have simplified driving mechanics while adding obstacles, over-the-top racetrack designs, a wide range ofbackground music and various action elements. Kart racers are also known to cast fictional characters, particularly from animatedmedia franchises, as the drivers of vehicles with unusual designs, often reflecting the distinct trait or personality of the character.^[1] Vehicle design in kart racing games range from simplisticgo-karts to unique, more complex designs such asmonster trucks orsports cars, depending on the game. Kart racing games are a morearcade-like experience than other racing games and usually offer over-the-top gameplay in whichplayer characters can utilize weapons and projectiles against one another, collectpower-ups to gain advantage, or perform special techniques to gain a speed boost.^[1][2] Typically, in such games, vehicles move more like go-karts andmotor scooters, lacking anything along the lines of agear stick andclutch pedal.^[3][4] The simplistic controls in kart racing games may be comparable to controllingradio controlled cars.

Kart racing games are distinct from and not to be confused with kart simulators, which is a minor subgenre ofracing simulator games that simulates actualkart racing without over-the-top gameplay elements.^[5]

The precursor of kart racing video games wasHanna-Barbera'sWacky Races franchise, featuring the concept of odd and unusual vehicles assigned to each of the characters, and the use of over-the-topvehicular combat elements.

Power Drift featured go-kart racing in 1988,^[6] butSuper Mario Kart (1992) is cited to have popularised the kart racing genre, being the first kart racing game to implement combat elements within races.^[7] The game was also slower than other racing games of the time due to hardware limitations, prompting its developers to use a go-kart theme. Since then, many kart racing games have been released, with franchises such asNicktoons andSouth Park featuring such games.^[8] TheCrash Bandicoot franchise in particular (starting withCrash Team Racing in 1999) consists of numerous kart racing video games.^[9]

TheMario Kart series is often considered as the pioneer of kart racing series, and is the most successful in the genre, topping other popular games such asDiddy Kong Racing.^[10][11] Though the genre seems to have been the most popular among developers during the 1990s,^[12]Mario Kart DS (2005), andMario Kart Wii (2008) became two of the best-selling kart racing games.^[13] In the late 2010s,Mario Kart 8 and itsDeluxe port became the best-selling racing video game of all time.^[14] The kart racingmobile gameGKART/QQ Speed (2010), which was heavily inspired byMario Kart, became one of the highest-grossing mobile games.^[15]

• Video game genres
• Kart racing video games

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